1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to articles of jewelry, and in particular to a monolithic or modular simulated gem and gem setting arrangement.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Unitary jewelry articles and/or modular links for forming jewelry bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and rings are well known. The so-called tennis bracelet, for example, is a bracelet having a series of connected modular units, each unit comprising an actual diamond or other gem and a setting therefor.
Reference is made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
Reference is also made to prior U.S. patent applications of the inventor of the present invention as follows: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/572,678, filed Aug. 23, 1990 for xe2x80x9cBRACELET DESIGNxe2x80x9d, now abandoned, which is a continuation application of Design Application Ser. No. 397,094 filed Aug. 22, 1989 entitled xe2x80x9cBRACELET OR THE LIKExe2x80x9d, now U.S. Pat. No. D314,929.
Non-patent references of interest may include:
1. xe2x80x9cCharmsxe2x80x9d catalog, Page 136, Item #136-20, by Americas GOLD, 650 South Hill St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90014
2. xe2x80x9cLiberty Collectionsxe2x80x9d catalog, Pages 4 and 21, by Liberty I. Exchange, 333 Washington St. #203-1, Boston, Mass. 02108;
3. xe2x80x9cDiamond Flowerxe2x80x9d jewelry by SandR Designs, Inc., Marlton, N.J.;
4. Items #P10529, #84619, #84622, National Jeweler, May 16, 1997;
5. Janet Alix necklace, Jewelers"" Circular Keystone, May, 1997;
6. Catalog Item #4D, Skalet Gold, 3600 N. Talman Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60618
7. Caroline Ballou Collection, June Las Vegas Show, K25-K27, and Barnett Robinson, Inc. June Las Vegas Show, Galleria #10;
8. Item N362, P.Q.C. Jewelry, National Jeweler, Jun. 1, 1998, Page 142;
9. xe2x80x9cLove Tearsxe2x80x9d collection, by Studs, Inc., 42 W. 48 St., New York, N.Y. 10036;
10. Slide pendant, by Superior Diamond Cutters Inc., 589 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017;
11. Uni-Creation, Inc., Emby International, Inc. collection, 589 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017;
12. A Promotional Supplement To JCK, May 1997, Pages 178, 179;
13. Item SS424, Corona Jewellery Company, 16 Ripley Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6S 3N9, Canada;
14. xe2x80x9cBezel-set jewelry, California Gold Center, 606 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90014;
15. xe2x80x9cPartnersxe2x80x9d fashion jewelry, Cache fashion watches, Mervyn""s California catalog flyer, 1998, Page 11;
16. California Precision Products Co. Catalog xe2x80x9cLaser Spot-Welding Systemsxe2x80x9d, One Industrial Court, Riverside, R.I. 02915;
17. Maty, Collection Automnexe2x80x94Hiver 97-98, Valeur 30F, No. 76.
The jewelry articles shown and described in the prior art noted above take on various aesthetically pleasing forms for displaying gems, real or simulated, in a variety of visual and structural configurations.
Channel settings and bezel settings that use real gems increase the price of a jewelry item dramatically.
In all such articles of the prior art in which a gem or simulated gem is mounted in a gem setting, the gem or simulated gem is positioned above the setting. In assembling the gem and gem setting combination, typically a series of upwardly directed prongs project from the setting, also referred to as a xe2x80x9cbasexe2x80x9d, and the gemstone, or simulated gemstone, is placed within the setting from above, after which the series of prongs are bent downwardly to embrace the gem or simulated gem. While this configuration displays the gem in the foreground relative to the setting, there are many disadvantages to such construction.
In particular, with the prongs of the setting exposed, it is relatively easy to snag clothing or inflict minor injuries to the skin of a person by an inadvertent scraping action. Moreover, the prongs of the setting base are unsightly, detracting from the aesthetic qualities of the article of jewelry.
If one were to conceive of the idea of avoiding the unsightliness of extending mounting prongs, the idea would be quickly rejected, due to the fact that if a precious stone, for example a diamond or ruby, or the like, is mounted below the upper surface of the setting base, the pointed bottom of the stone would penetrate the skin of the user even more so than is commonly done even with stones mounted from the top of a setting base or bezel. The pointed bottom of a precious stone is, by design, formed with specific depth and angles to capture as much light as possible for reflection through the stone, thereby enhancing the brilliance and spectacle of the gem.
Yet another disadvantage of the use of prior art unitary modules for connection in series to form a tennis bracelet, for example, is that such bracelet construction is rather labor intensive, each modular unit having to be connected to an adjacent unit, and for a bracelet with, typically thirty or more, individual modules, the cost of the bracelet to the ultimate consumer may be inflated beyond expectation of the purchaser who values the article of jewelry on the basis of its precious stone content. Typical prong, channel, and bezel settings not only use expensive gems that sometimes get damaged during the setting procedure, but these types of settings themselves are costly. The purchaser would be greatly benefitted by a less costly manufacturing process, since, for the same purchase price, the purchaser would receive more or larger stones, or stones of a greater quality. There is therefore a need in the art for reducing the manufacturing costs of multi-modular jewelry items.
The present invention satisfies the needs and desires of the purchasing public while simultaneously solving the afore-mentioned problems associated with jewelry items in which the gem is mounted above the setting.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a decorative jewelry article comprising a hollow base member, a decorative insert, and a fastener arrangement. The hollow base member has a top, a bottom, an interior, and an opening in the top. The decorative insert is sized in relation to the interior of the base member so as to be placed within the hollow base member and viewed through the top opening. The fastener arrangement fixes the decorative insert within the hollow base member below the base member top.
Employing the principles and concepts of the present invention, it will be appreciated that, since the decorative insert or simulated decorative insert is positioned within a base member below the top and above the bottom of the base member, snagging of clothing, and penetration of the user""s skin is avoided. Unlike real gems, the simulated gem of the present invention does not extend below the bottom of the base member in which it is contained.
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a plurality of such hollow base members, or modular links, for example a pair of such base members may be linked together in the manufacturing process so that the number of individual modular units to be assembled to form a tennis bracelet, for example, is halved.
The present invention also provides for a number of selectable structural configurations and mounting processes, depending on need, desired security for a mounted gem or simulated gem, and aesthetic considerations.